Black Forest Dance, Take 2

Close your eyes, and come with me. It is a warm Autumn eve in the Black Forest. There are ancient folk tales about this magical wood... how late at night it comes to life with mischievious fairies and wood nymphs. Any mortal who hears the unusual, hauntingly romantic dance music, will be enchanted, drawn into the heart of the forest, and will never return. Hush! Do you hear them? They're calling, gathering for the dance...

Extra Notes: I wanted to create an unusual dance, something that felt just a little off-kilter, strange, but catchy at the same time. I wrote a melody that switched between minor and major, and also wrote an unusual rhythmic "loping" feel between the cellos, strings, and clarinet. It is in 4/4 time, but doesn't want to be... I'm dubbing it a "faux-trot". This is for all of us who have delightfully quirky eternal romances. Deepest thanks to my wife who inspires my music, and guided and critiqued this piece so thoughtfully. She really wanted the middle section to be a full-fledged-fugue, but it is a simpler canon ("round") for now until I learn more about composition.

Version 2 Notes: I made a fatal mistake in version 1, where I had written the clarinet part such that a few notes were one note lower than a Bb clarinet could actually play. So I transposed the whole piece up from C# minor to D minor, and it all fits now. It was also suggested that I sprinkle some pizzicato strings in here, so I rewrote a few sections to let the strings and celli feel plucky. And, I separated the string staff into 2, violins and violas, and fixed a couple of bad chords. This sounds better, now it can be played by a real orchestra :-)

oops messed up the comment......
I see where you changed the description and removed some of the wordage about the scary stuff. This is very pleasant, yet mysterious. Nice journey to be on, while not quite sure where I will wind up. Alas, safe and sound! You are so creative! Very nice job as always.

ambiguity is my middle name
Hi Gail, thank you for stopping by AGAIN, and reading the story and listening and commenting, twice! I love writing music and stories that are a little ambiguous, so that if you want it to sound scary, it is, or mysterious, or happy, or... So I think I am getting better at that. I am delighted, as always, to have you listen and offer your heart-felt thoughts, thank you! And I *had* to deliver you safely back, because the next piece I write may not lead you back so safely.
ttfn,
Drakonis

Thanks Feter!
There are little fixes in here for some harmonies, and then I saw the perfect place to add the pizzicato violins, and cello too at the end. I reduced the room reverb a little and spread the instruments a TEENY bit more, to make it clearer, but I can probably do more with the mix. I am very happy you like it, and that I can bring a little magic dancing to you, my friend. Take care and have hope!
ttfn,
Drakonis

Playful
and somewhat haunting at the same time. It's been a while since I listened to the first version, but this sounds fantastic! Wonderfully mixed as well. Of course you know that I tend to favor rock/metal/techno genres, but composing something of this magnatude is simply beyond my grasp. (it's something I'd like to be able to do in the future) I really enjoyed this, Eduard!

beyond your grasp?
funny you should say that, composing something like this was completely beyond MY grasp a few years ago, but if I can do it, so can you! After all, I can't play guitar, or peel 2,500 shrimp a minute (smirk). Thank you for listening/commenting, even though it isn't quite your style... Loved your latest too, BTW!
ttfn,
Drakonis

not perfect
but I'm glad to know that you think my changes make it even better. I was worried about tinkering with it too much, but the pizz. strings felt just right to me. There's still a lingering thought of mine to let the poor flautist rest in one spot, and give the melody to the violins near the middle, but I didn't do that yet. As always, I appreciate your thoughts, time, and friendship!
ttfn,
Drakonis

Lovely - again-
I really like that you took the time to put it into a key and instrumentation that is playable by a real live performing group. For me, it immediately becomes more real. I don't remember the glockenspiel (or is that a celeste) being so forward last time, but I like it here. It's like a few sprinkles of magic. Nice job in taking it up one notch to a more professional arrangement!

heavenly celesta
Like Tchaikovsky, I love little sprinkles of the Celesta (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Celesta). It was in the prior piece, but it was slightly quieter, and also I transposed a couple of sections UP an octave to make them more pronounced, and so they wouldn't conflict with other instruments playing exactly the same note... so yes, it is more noticeable.

This can be played by a small ensemble, 1 flute, 1 clarinet, 2 violins, 2 violas, 1 celesta, and 2 cellos, though I'd double the number of strings I think. And C# minor (4 sharps) was a scary key signature, D minor (one flat) is much safer! ;-)

I appreciate your discerning ear, and am happy every time you stop by and thoughtfully listen to my work. I'm glad you enjoyed it! This one definitely sits poised with sheet music at the ready, if the San Diego Chamber Orchestra runs out of things to play sometime... I'd love to have our local amazing clarinetist Sheryl Renk play this :-)

So, the music and prose worked for you? I have been learning so much from these musical inspirations, and the hard work it takes to capture them on "paper." And on a separate note, I get my own goose-bumps listening to your wonderful skill composing and playing guitar, and I look forward to your next piece!
ttfn,
Drakonis

A fine result of your
reworking on this piece - congratulations! I like how you brought the glock (?) up in the mix, and various bits of tidying that clarify it overall. The higher pizz. strings to me don't seem to be very tonal, in that to my ear I'm hearing the pluck but not much else - probably my ears going after too much headbanger music :o) Don't have this same effect with the bass pizz. though.

My growing deafness aside, love this work and thanks for making the effort to polish and share it!

needs more pizz.azz
Argh... I agree with you about the pizzicato violins being more percussive than tonal... what happened? It sounded better in GB, but seems to have lost something in translation, now that I listen more carefully to the MP3! There are two tricks I can play to get them to "ring" a little more and sound a little less percussive... it is not your ears, you are correct and have very GOOD ears! I'll see what I can do about that. Thank you for stopping in and listening critically, I love that!

I'm glad you like the other tweaks, it is shaping up nicely! I learn so much on each one of these grand endeavors. Thank you for being a teacher along the way.

Would you believe...
I'm inspired by this piece, Drak! - I'm here to study, as I have been studying classical music recently. Why - Hopefully to be able to come close to composing one - Why - It's being asked of me and not being able to is starting to have an adverse effect - Even though it feels kind of forced, I'm glad that something is causing me to try to learn.

This is a wonderful piece, Drak! I can here that there really is a story being told here. Some of what l'm hearing I didn't think could be done by way of the computer - Well, maybe I kinda figured that somehow it could have been created, it's just that I hadn't heard it - Sounds like that shrill action that you're able to get from the strings - Your cello sounds exceptionally nice - I couldn't help but to keep wondering what this might sound like at quite abit of a slower bpm (I just did a Drak - hehe) I don't know enough about my pondering to explain why - It was just a rythmic hit, I guess - I'm really taken by the sound of your clarinet too! And the flute!

Yes, I've been listenig quite a bit to Bach, Beethoven and Stravinsky - But Stravinsky appeals the most to me of all three. I'm to understand that this says something of the time period of classical music that I'm drawn too. I don't mean to impress you w/ anything, Drak - a couple of months ago, I wouldn't have opened my mouth to say squat about classical music. I think I've learned just enough to proudly imbarrass myself now, so you might as well lead the way...

studying the classics
Macca! Welcome to a huge world of music... you and I could spend a lifetime listening to composers and trying to figure out what works and what doesn't... its a lot of fun! Bach, Beethoven, and Stravinsky are mind-blowing, each in their own way, but you have to listen to the structure, and also realize the iconoclastic nature of their music at the time (well, Bach was more "retro" but a genius.) Anyway, it doesn't surprise me that Stravinsky "does it" for you, talk about a guy who knew how to play with rhythm. As far as time periods go, I couldn't get into too many others' "neo-classical" music around then, he's a master. (aside-I don't care for much of this guy's other stuff, but you should look up "Sinfonietta" by Janacek, I think you'll love that too.)

Thanks for listening so carefully... the "shrill strings" is done in real life by quickly bowing back and forth, that's exactly what I wanted it to sound like, and the tricky way I made it come out closely mirrors what it would really sound like. The cello was a careful blending of JP4 cello and Fitch cello and some careful velocity curves, came out nice, huh? I love the cello sound. As for the 130 BPM speed, I wanted this as a light quick-paced dance (fairy-like), and I tried it slower long ago, and it sounded a little too "lumbering", but I've not thought about that recently... hmm.

Glad you like the flute and clarinet, I tried to write each part so that it showed them off a little, but was still fairly easy to play... and the JP4 instruments (with the aid of some tricks up my sleeve) sound quite realistic.

I am in awe of the pieces that were posted here by... uh.. that other guy who was sort of like you (wink), so I can imagine that what you'll come up with will be an eargasm. I look forward to seeing your name in lights soon.
ttfn,
Drakonis

hehehe...
Glad you came back to the forest for more... sorry to hear that your breadcrumbs got stolen from behind you. I hear that the Autumn Court can be very forgiving with intruders... oh wait, that was the watered down "fairy tale", never mind. Good luck talking your way out of this one! Should I send OutaOrbit over to rescue you, or would that be a bad idea? He can resist the temptation of glamorous beauty, right? (smirk)
ttfn,
Drakonis

I'm still...
...back there in the Nightmare Before Christmas...and loving what you do with your inventive orchestration. The rocking back-and-forth, major-minor is very cool. I'd be afraid to try it, but you make it work. THIS version of the forest is more refined than your previous post and it was worth the wait. Pizz strings...just great. Give me more. Ah...the surprise ending...and well done, too. Congratulations on a really unique, individual composition that works on so many levels.
Peace.
Paul

Nightmares...
Well, Danny Elfman (who wrote the music for Nightmare Before Christmas and many other movies) is quite an amazing composer, so I'm flattered by the comparison! And thank you for listening again and comparing the two. Glad to know the little changes to progressions and rhythm and instrumentation help refine this piece... it feels better to me too. Not sure I want too much more pizzicato strings, but I do want to go back and make them stand out a little more. As I mentioned above, as I moved this to MP3, they began to get lost.

And I want to start working on my next piece too, switching from woodwinds to more of a brassy Sibelius sound next. And I'm madly designing scenery to finish my 2nd music video... So many things to do! Stay tuned, the SchwanSongs factory is in full swing! ;-)

from you...
"so lovely and enchanting" speaks volumes. I'm very deeply happy to know that you listened to this latest version too, and that it enchants you... thank you for letting me know, m'lady. Your latest piece pretty much stopped me in my tracks, had to listen a few times to let it wash over me!
ttfn,
Drakonis

wonderful compliment
well-crafted, that is very good to know it fits together well and is a good listen... getting the right instruments in the right place to give the right feel is tricky... thank you for the feedback that I'm getting there!
ttfn,
Drakonis

Three's a charm
What a great compliment to have you listen again and again, any time you need a journey, you know which dragon will take you there! :-) You are pretty amazing at creating musical journeys too, you know!
ttfn,
Drakonis

Don't recall the first one
But this one's even better :) I think you handle that orchestra very well. The woodwinds are having a great time. I like the bells and pizzicato strings a lot, too. When a real orchestra plays this, you must get video!

such a tease!
If an orchestra EVER plays any of my pieces, I will DEFINITELY have a movie/recording of it! But somebody else would have to run the camera, I'd be too busy listening/watching the orchestra... my wife and I go to the San Diego Symphony several times a year, and the incredible dynamics, depth, and washing of music through you is mesmerizing... watching the violinists and cellists, the brass, woodwinds, its always been a treat for me to "be there." We went a couple weeks ago (Halloween special), and heard Mussorgsky's "Night on Bald Mountain" and Berlioz' "Symphonie Fantastique", and I am STILL buzzing from that concert.

Anyway, I am having great fun trying to write my own pieces... it is getting a little easier as I practice. Thank you for listening and telling me what works.

Arghhh... more videos?
Hehehe, you know how to push my buttons!? It would be fun to make a video for this, but I've got way too many projects on my plate now, so it will likely not happen for this music, not soon anyway. I was mostly concentrating on getting accurate orchestration/sheet music for this, in case it ever got played for real (I should see if the local junior colleges might be interested.) So for now, you'll have to let the story play out in your mind's eye.

Thank you for listening to both versions and commenting! (Dancylvania was a REALLY early sketch of the melody ideas before I re-scored it.) I am doing one more set of tweaks to this, and it will be done. Then back to working on my current music video <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gOROyAQBgDA">"Fractal Serenity"</a>.

Great !
Eduard, more clearer and more beautifully. Loved the changes with the instruments .. i can feel this with a real orchestra .. Amazing work and composition my friend. Thanks for sharing such a gem in this genre and i'm sorry for being late bro. ! 10's

thanks Yeman
thank you for dropping in and listening... even with your busy school schedule (hope you did well on your tests!) I'm glad you liked the improvements I made. I spent some more time this weekend (while on vacation) reading through the score and pencilling in a few final changes, so I have a few more teeny ideas, and THEN I will be done.

Oh yeah!
I think you pretty much nailed it this time, Eduard!!! Far less Harmony Assistant "artefacts", much more humanly played. Those strings were nice additions as well. I can't imagine the time you must have put into this, though. Are you not allowed out of the house since after the fires or what ;-)

BTW, when I read your description I remembered I wrote a short-story in English pretty much like this scene some 25 years ago, a few men that went into the forrest and were encircled by the wild beasts never to return again... I'll see if I can find it and mail it to you, if you like.

Hej!
Thank you for your earlier critique, and coming back to listen to the update! I listened and tried to "break it up" a little more, so it wasn't so repetitive and noticeably "MIDI" sounding. I have a couple last tweaks and I'll be done. As for time to work on it, if I am not working on music, I have to be cleaning the house, so there is so much music to write! (just kidding!) I get a few hours a week, and take them very seriously.

I would *love* to hear your story, please send it to me when you get a chance!

Apres dance
Interesting piece. It has bit of a folk dance character -- probably that clarinet helps with that feeling -- but some of the implied rhyhthm in the melody is somewhat undancelike.

If I consult my body rhythm I'd say that this would be a rather stately piece, with slow steps on half notes. Given the length and the fairly constant mood -- no real sectioning here, in spite of your round -- it would work as a long procession.

Score
I love what you do with this score. The chord changes, even early on in the first few measures are of the nature that always make my spine 'tingle' - but you know, you do very well not over using those. Just the appropriate dosage of spine-tingling pleasure.

You really write some great pieces. Can I get some printed score? I have a 14 yr old French horn player, and a 15 yr old violin and viola player.... hint-hint

Right up to par with the Schwan talent, thanks for posting for our enjoyment -

Awww...
Certainly! Anything to help kids learn to play instruments! I'll print the violin/viola score to PDF & send it to you, along with some reference MP3s (one of the version of the whole piece that goes with the score, and an MP3 of JUST the violin/viola parts.) I think this is "intermediate" violin music. The viola (and cello) parts are pretty easy.

I'll go back to Rainy March and do the same with the french horn parts if you like.

Hey, maybe a band teacher at school might see this sheet music and get interested, who knows? :-)

Hi Drak
good to hear this piece again. It really reminds me of Harry Potter for some reason. I found it fascinating. The arrangement is beautiful and the melody is so catchy. Truly wonderful! This one is a download for sure.

Fantasy sound track
I don't mind being compared to movie soundtrack music, especially if you also think the melody is catchy! I think there may be a quirky feel to the Harry Potter theme music too, I will listen to it sometime and compare. Glad you stopped in for a listen... and I'm quite excited to impress YOU, who writes such beautiful heart-tugging music. Now to find time to work on the next one!
ttfn,
Drakonis

Hey Drak
I remembered the theme right away.. I'll be honest... I don't remember enough to say what has changed... although i have new mixes of most everything that I've posted... I've only posted 1 new mix... knowing that folks aren't as familiar with the stuff as I... I figure it will sound the same to them... with out doing an A B compare...

I'm always intrigued by the way you work... and wonder how you arrive at your destination... so much of what I do comes from hearing something down inside... and I wonder if the same thing i at play when you are sculping these wonderful pieces...

can you imagine if bach and beethoven and all those composers had these tools at their disposal... I wonder how and what it would have changed

So good to see you again
thank you for revisiting this update... as far as how I work, I usually hear/hum some new melody, and have to run over and write it down, then a few years later, I get time to fill it out. This one luckily only took a few months :-)

Yes, if Beethoven had a MIDI piano & GB, perhaps he would have been more like Haydn, pumping out 104 symphonies, instead of 9. But then again, perhaps not... better tools don't necessarily speed up your creativity. But lack of good tools can sure slow you down.

Amazing
do you play all the instruments with midi or are they real recordings? Love it. would fit just right into a futuristic(but not to futuristic) romance/scifi movie. keep it up man. i want a cd ;-)

Sample and hold
This is a note-by-note-composed piece (MIDI), then hand-tweaked in GarageBand with the Jampack 4 symphonic sampled instrument sounds to give a live-dynamics sound. However, I do have the printed score available, and am hoping soon to have a little live orchestral ensemble play it, we will see how that goes. Thank you for listening and commenting on this, I am glad you enjoyed it! Sci-fi eh? Like "Snow Crash" or something? Hmmm... interesting!

Hey!
So good to have you stop by, my plucky pizzicato violinist :-) I have an even newer version than this, where I fixed another little problem in the score. Violinists/violists/celloists require a short break when switching between bowing and plucking... I knew this but missed a couple spots where it switches too quickly... so I fixed that. Anyway, the music is ready for performance now. I have a couple leads on performers, and will record a video of the performance if it happens. Stay tuned! Thank you MsC for stopping by and listening and enjoying this one... I'm excited about it!
ttfn,
Drakonis (a big MsC fan)

a change of key and color
I understand about the key (and agree), and it was originally in C# Moll, but the bottom note of the Bb clarinet was one note too low. So I moved it up a half step. However, today, I talked to a clarinet player at our symphony, and he reminds me that all clarinettists have a Bb AND and A clarinet, and the A clarinet can play one note lower... so perhaps I could transpose it back and require the A clarinet? :-) Unfortunately *I* only have a Bb clarinet, so I couldn't play it then... if I started practicing my clarinet again, that is.

I liked your story of the Black Forest, and I am glad it "touched" you personally!

Well well well...
I find myself in a forest, I see hobbits, and rabbits and a little creature playing a clarinet...How visual!! I absolutely love it!!! Theatre music at its best!! Now that i got it all working...I'll be listening to more!

Let the music flow...
so glad to know you can finally listen to music here, and thank you for listening to mine! One of my main goals in writing music is to evoke stories and images, so, if I've done so here, then it is a success. Thank you for wandering into the forest. Oh, and did you notice which way that "little creature" went with my clarinet, I need it back! :-)
ttfn,
Drakonis

..for me, 2nd listen, I'm getting ze Magick Flütenzegrühber, Grimm faerie tales, Hansel & Gretel... that clever shift from minor to major is I think what does it, the darker with the lighter, happy innocent .. and that "loping" rhythm gives me the frolicking/skipping through the woods.. but..hmm.. not as innocent as Little Red Riding Hood or Teddy Bears picnic... ok, glad I made myself quite clear on this one...I love it when a comment comes together .. lol :o)

Enjoyed it very much- not heard the first version, I have no quibbles mix/production suggestions, all excellent. The pizz could perhaps be tweaked a little.

All we need is the real orchestra version, how are your conducting skills btw?

Thanks for the peek into your brain
Hi Alan, so glad you came skipping through the forest here... no it is not all happy and sunshine in here, glad you picked up on that. And yes, the pizzicato strings seemed to lack clarity... I have a newer re-orchestration and re-recording of this which improves that a bit, and adds a new twist on the ending... but mainly, I have the score printed now, and am seeing if I can get a live performance of it, stay tuned! Eventually, this may become part of a longer suite, when I can carve out more time for composing... as for conducting, I've never done it, and likely never will... counting is not something I'm very good at, being a software engineer and all (isn't that what computers are for?) Hey, maybe that's why I like the Waltz meter, I only have to count to 3, instead of 4! OK, I'm rambling worse than you are! Thank you for rambling over here, I love it when you do!
ttfn,
Drakonis

Very appealing
Drakonis, this is a great track. It would be great if you could get a live orchestra to record or perform this sometime. I love the celeste parts. And the clarinet sounds particularly realistic.

Stuck in the middle (ages) with you...
why is it that all my stuff reminds people of the middle ages... not that it is a bad thing, it is just very interesting to me... just wondering if I'm stuck there because something is baroque?

I'm off to talk to my old alma mater about possible performance, and I had a local symphony clarinetist look it over, and other than being a bit short, it looks good.

As for this MP3, it was a lot of tweaking of dynamics (and doing a couple other little secret things) to make the GB Jampack 4 really shine. I learned a lot.

Thank you for listening and commenting, John, I value your thoughts and prodding for a performance... funny, we had just popped your CD in last weekend and enjoyed your music again!

This is very nice
It is reminiscent in some ways (but not in others) of Danny Elfmann's music for Tim Burton's movies...I think someone else mentions Edward Scissorhands here somewhere...

On another level, it also reminds me of a differently orchestrated version of Mystified's 'Courteous Music'...almost like they are reaching out to each other and connecting across the virtual centuries...

I am very impressed with the way you have orchestrated this

Part of me wishes for a 'bigger' sound here...part of me says it is perfect as it is

The big Elfman
Thank you for the kind comparisons to Elfman and Cat! And as for giving it a bigger sound, but keeping it the same, I will endeavor to do exactly that :-) Thank you for listening, I sincerely appreciate your amazing ear for music & composition.
ttfn,
Drakonis

Thanks for listening!
Welcome to Macjams too! Well, if this was invitingly haunting, then I am conveying the feeling I wanted to... thank you for enjoying the melodies, and writing how you felt about it. This is great feedback, which I appreciate! And I shall visit your music as well.
ttfn,
Drakonis

beautiful
well crafted I must say. you have a gift for composition. I think I did comment on this when I was an Ego but it was erased Im afraid. excellent music so clear and pleasant. My favorite is the little bells in the background that accent everything.

Stolen Bandits...
Hey ZeroHour (no time like the present?) thank you for stopping in to listen/comment. I had a prior version of this up, but made some big changes and deleted it in favor of this version... so it might have been ME that deleted your comment! But I read all the comments and incorporate the ideas into the next version... and in this case, you and others mentioned liking the bells and wanting more, so this version has more (not-cow) bells. Now if only I could play like you can :-)
ttfn,
Drakonis

Safe childhood within Black Forest
This light-hearted sounding classical peace of music let me feel like a child the black forest as a safe miracle of nature without fear and fright. It's an invitation to feel out the next available black forest in one's geographic area. You have an extraordinary musical sensitiveness to express exceptional situations authentic and convincing in music.
Congratulation!

safely dancing
Although I did try to give a little bit of apprehension (with the fast-bowed violins at the beginning), mostly this is light-hearted... I can't help it. So I'm glad you too heard the childish playfulness here. We did travel to Bavaria, but I did not see the "real" Black Forest... however, as you say, there are many magical black forests all over the world to explore. I sincerely appreciate you listening to my music, and I'm happy to know you like the expressiveness of my music. I am slowly learning all this stuff!
ttfn,
Drakonis

Out of all the songs of yours...
....that I listened to. (about 3 or 4 of em so far). This is my favorite. Do you score movies? For some reason I started remembering the Disney Peter and the Wolf cartoon. In fact when i heard the oboe(?) solo, about halfway thru, I wanted it to go an at least a minute long vamp. That would certainly change the dynamics of a song, I love it when a good composer will bring everything down to one instrument and then bring it all back. It makes a song more refreshing that way.
Great song...

Precocious Prokofiev
The only movies I score are my own (see the YouTube music videos I've linked at the top of my artist page)... I write music so slowly, no movie producer would wait for me :-) But I sincerely appreciate the compliment (I will take "movie background music" as a compliment :-)

Wow, Disney's Peter and the wolf... I owned that VHS tape long ago for my kids, I enjoyed it... and found it interesting that Disney wrote their own music for it, even though Prokofiev's original music is awesome. You are close with "oboe"... it is a clarinet, and I had fun writing that little "solo/round" in the middle, glad you liked it. Several others suggested I work on that part and lengthen it too, adding more variation along the way as it builds, so that is on my list of to-dos for this. I am also shopping around to see if I can get it performed live at a high school, for fun.

Thank you for stopping in and giving me feedback, it helps me decide what to work on!

Danke!
Hi Andreas, thank you so much for listening to some of my (and my daughters) work. I can understand Tchaikovsky's love for the Celesta, and I sometimes worry that I use it too much in my pieces, but in the first draft of this, several people suggested adding more of it... so, here it is! :-) I am happy to know that it "Tinkled your Fancy". I am intrigued by your great music and singing as well, and I look forward to hearing more of your works here... welcome to Macjams!
ttfn,
Drakonis

Black Forest Dance
Very good woodwind writing. I especially liked the intervals in the flute. The music is very effective. If I had any suggestions, I'd point to the texture, which is fairly similar throughout. Perhaps consider less tutti and more soli sections? The tempo remains the same, perhaps some speeding and slowing down in combination with textural changes could add to the overall impact of the piece? I liked the woodwind writing a lot, you really have a handle on them, and they aren't easy to score for as each one is unique and has its own temperment. Bravo!

excellent suggestions
I am in the middle of reworking this piece some, and will take these two ideas into account... perfect! Very glad to have a professional woodwind player around to make sure I don't get out of line! Your insight is greatly appreciated.

Dance?
Hi Dee... thank you for listening and commenting! I'm glad you like this... and I used to play clarinet about (..mumble mumble..) years ago in High School Concert band, I've always liked its sound too. I did some tricks in GarageBand to make the clarinet and flute sound like they are live instruments, and I like how it came out. I have ideas for making this piece even bigger sometime soon. So much music to try! I think you know the feeling too, sounds like you are having a blast with making music too!
ttfn,
Drakonis

stuck in my forest...
ah, so that was you wandering around humming this tune over and over :-) Thank you for listening again... very happy to know you like it, Kenta! I enjoy your great writing too.
ttfn,
Drakonis

a dragon of the forest
i heard dance and forest you forgot to mention it's a dark forest. pieces like this make me think of fantasia. i love the art work. aww there was drum beat building and than it died off. i was expecting it to build up more before dying off. definitely has that sound of creatures talking to eachother.

dark forest for human intruders...
not a good place to go if you don't belong there... the Faeries tend to protect their homes, and do "mischievous" things to trespassers. I guess I cannot really blame them... so yes, it does seem a dark forest to us. Glad you felt the undertone there. As for the almost-buildup, I am going to revisit this piece and make it longer, with more builds and twists and turns. Stay tuned! I appreciate you listening and commenting.
ttfn,
Drakonis

First off
That's a beautiful picture - did you take it? Second, again, you include such a great backstory. I just love your little narrations. Okay this is exceptionally enchanting mr. dragon. I love it. The play between the flute and clarinet is fantastic. The cello got a little loud for me sometimes, but it's a great bass part there. And the little xylophone riffs just add wonderfully to whole dreamy fairytale feel. Okay, I don't just like the clarinet/flute duel - I LOVE it. Seriously it's just perfect. My only suggestion would be to make the cello a little more background and let those flute/clarinet lines really float. Maybe pan the instruments a little more - really, is that flute coming from behind the tree on my right? No there's a clarinet over behind the bush to my left! And the cello links it all together, calm and steadfast. Brilliant!

mental photos
No, much as I love taking pictures, unfortunately I didn't take it, I found it on my computer from long ago, and did some photoshop enhancing to make it eerier.

I am very happy to know that you got into the clarinet/flute/celesta melodies and interplay, and I've also noted that the cello bass line is too loud at times and to spread the instruments out a little more, I shall fix that in the next recording of this (which will be extended even more.) I want this to be a piece that can actually be played, so I'm working on the printed score too.

Glad you got lost in the forest of back-story. My music is almost always accompanied by stories, and sometimes I type the stories up too, but sometimes I let the listener come up with it.

Thank you for your thoughts, Shay, I appreciate your suggestions, and will work them into the next revision of this.

Combination
I can hear a slight combination of Berlioz and Stravinsky in this piece (of course throwing in your own flavor)! I really appreciated that balance you gave the celesta; it was almost random with the speckled nature, but you didn't let it become too random, because there was still a tonal center and I think it made the piece delightful.

Towards the middle where you start building (where the main theme repeats), I for some reason was hearing some timpani rolls (but incredibly soft, pp or even ppp), just enough to create a little tension; I think it would help because it would offer a little timbre shift without being too obnoxious.

But that's just me! It's a great piece without it, so if you don't want it, that's okay!

Great comments...
Thank you for the terribly flattering comparison! Glad the sprinkled Celesta works... I didn't want it too prevalent. As for the middle part, it really needs to be reworked, and your idea of some kind of tension build there is good. I tried to just simply build layers and increase dynamics, but a low build of a roll or maybe occasional dissonant pull... the only reason I would shy away from timpani is I was envisioning the sheet music for this being playable by possibly a high school concert band, and didn't want to use too many exotic instruments (uh... except the celesta... well a glockenspiel could be substituted :-) Thank you again for the great suggestion, and I'll see what I come up with, since I'm working on an update lately. I look forward to more of your thoughtful critiques!
ttfn,
Drakonis

i believe! i do believe in fairies!
this is magical..........walt disney is that you?........ heck of a job. their are some interesting changes at the core of the song, but after it got started you just get to swept up in your imagination. its a big bottle of pixie dust!!!!!

Be careful...
be careful what you decide to believe in... first fairies, then dragons, then the whole world changes out from under you! :-)

Thank you so much for visiting one of my worlds... I'm very pleased to know you eventually got caught up in the music, as that was the intent. You mention that it got off to some false starts there that possibly distracted from drawing you in... it sounds like I have more work to do to there? I initially was thinking of somebody being sort of tentative when entering the forest, before being drawn in by the dance... thus the slow start. Maybe that doesn't work well? I am revamping this piece in other places, and will think about the intro more too.

Thank you again for stopping in, hope you enjoy my other pieces, and those from many other Macjammers here... and I look forward to more of yours.

Tinkerbell agrees.
Maybe I did not express myself as well as I would have liked to. This song is perfect as is, I wouldnt change a thing. Its so magical, Tinkerbell thinks so to. I downloaded it as one of my favorites.

able composition needs real performance
Well, it works very well as a composition but not as a performance. Too much "mechanical action" in the sound. Not enough real-world attack, overtones and decay. It needs real instruments and real players. Also needs tempo changes. Having said that, this is one of the better software instrument productions that I have heard. I applaud your effort. A sensitive polyphony of sound. Good orchestral spacing -- something I was mentioning to Yeman tonight on Facebook chat.

Thoughtful Richard
Excellent feedback, and not the screetchy kind. Thank you for pointing out what works, and what spoils the mood. Since I write on a staff, and the computer is my performer, I agree it sounds too even and stilted. I often spend lots of time adding realistic volume-curves on notes to make them sound played... but not so much on this recording. On the other hand, I have the printed score in hand, and am hoping someday to find a willing group to play this from the music, that would be such a thrill for me to hear. I agree completely, there's nothing like a real human performance of music... lucky you, you can do that well! Great comment, thanks! I'll be revisiting this.
ttfn,
Drakonis

Great..
Great composition Eduard. This captures the feeling you were going in the sound choice and composition. I am reminded of the final fantasy series ( video game yes, but some of the most vibrant compositions ive heard )
I can see myself exporing a forgotten forest that is alive in ghostly motion, branches swaying lazily to the music.

video games...
I'll take it as a compliment, as the music for a video game is supposed to support the visual world it accompanies... and in this case, I was hoping that the listener's mind would supply the visuals ;-) If it did it, then I'm elated! And I need to finish this up, because I want this to be part of a bigger suite, somehow, and maybe get it performed live someday. The dreams we have. Thank you Jay!
ttfn,
Drakonis

hard work becomes magic
That's great to hear! I want to work some more on this, and create a 3-part suite. And then I hope to find some little orchestra somewhere to play it (I am sure you have that wish with your music too!) Thank you for listening to my little flights of fancy. I look forward to more of yours.
ttfn,
Drakonis

Eduard,
I can't imagine the patience it takes to put together a piece like this. More than that, even, is the knowledge of the different instruments and how they should sound (and where in space and on the staff). This is all stuff I will have to someday learn, but I can hear the difference in your pieces. Your sense of how the different instruments and sections relate is first rate. Also your handling of the musical theme and how it passes from instrument to instrument gives the sense of the dance very well. Very well done.

patience = love
Perhaps there's something wonky in my brain... like with those who enjoy making scale models of the eiffel tower with toothpicks, maybe? But like my computer animation (typing in text commands for each object and texture) I seem to enjoy placing each note of a chord, one by one, then decorating it with velocities and staccato marks. At least I don't use parchment and goose-quills :-) But my insatiable curiosity keeps me learning about all these things, and it is great fun. And when the result is something others enjoy too... well that is REALLY exciting to me, especially from you, somebody I hold in great esteem, thank you Stephen!

Eduard's musical interests span a variety of musical genres, including, classical, world, ambient, electronica, and rock and blues. His venture "SchwanSongs" is where he writes and publishes his own musical compositions, usually classically-based m... [see more]